When women talk: Exploring the voices of women in prison through an arts-based radio project
January 12th, 2026
The English-language article “When Women Talk: Exploring the Voices of Women in Prison through an Arts-Based Radio Project”, by J. Thorpe, R. Drury, and M. Maycock, published in The Prison Journal (2025), examines Women Talk, a participatory radio project developed in a Scottish women’s prison. Based on interviews with incarcerated women, including trans women, the study explores how radio production can enable participation in expressive, cultural, and decision-making processes within an institution shaped by pronounced power asymmetries.
More specifically, the findings are structured around three analytical dimensions: participants’ increased capacity to articulate their voices and exercise influence within the prison; the reworking of self-image and personal narratives; and the development of relationships of belonging and mutual support within and beyond the radio production group. Overall, the article contributes to debates on artistic practice in carceral settings by showing how radio can operate as a regulated yet meaningful space for expression, negotiation, and social influence for a structurally marginalized group.
The article is available here.